Contract And Marriage

Maximus

Mariano and I were in my office when I received a text from Sarina saying that my grandmother had arrived. I was extremely worried, afraid of what she might do to my wife. Even though I knew she would adore Chase, I couldn’t help but worry for our child, so I excused myself from my brother, who was still talking and called my wife.

But she canceled the call and texted me not to call again, fearing that my grandmother might get angry. So, we ended up texting each other instead.

“Hey, we’re talking about something important here,” Mariano complained, frowning.

“I know. Grandma is at home, and I’m worried about Sarina,” I said, which made him shake his head.

“She still doesn’t want to accept her as your wife?” he asked, and I nodded. “When is she going to respect your feelings?”

“Grandma loves me, Mariano.”

“Not enough to see you happy with the woman you love.”

“She only wants the best for me.”

“And she thinks your wife isn’t the best for you.” Mariano had a rebuttal for everything I said, so I fell silent. When Sarina texted that she was okay and that my grandmother was genuinely happy to be with Chase, I felt relieved and turned my attention back to Mariano.

Finally, they had a lead on Ralph’s whereabouts, and they informed the police, thanks to Aries, who happened to know a high-ranking official. His brother worked as a secretary for a billionaire with an uncle who was a general in the PNP (Philippine National Police).

“I hope we catch that bastard as soon as possible.” Mariano looked furious.

“I’m really thankful you’re here with me,” I said emotionally. Mariano was about to respond when Aries knocked and entered my office.

“The necessary people have been informed, sir. After the planning and stakeout, they’ll proceed with the arrest once it’s confirmed that Mr. Ralph McClaire is indeed in that location.”

“Finally. I just really want to end that bastard. I don’t understand how he escaped from the L. A prison. I thought security in every jail there was stricter than here. I mean, isn’t their security system more advanced than ours?”

Mariano looked at me before answering. “He planned it very well and had people who helped him.”

“Then he’s not simple if he manages to get help. There might also be people here who are helping him hide,” I said to Mariano, and he nodded.

“But the problem is, we don’t know it yet.”

“Sir,” Aries chimed in. “We know that the subdivision where he was spotted is private, and most of the residents are either politicians or businessmen.”

“Ralph is a plastic surgeon by profession. Do you think he helped someone wealthy enough to provide him a hiding place, which would likely be suspicious since, as Aries said, the place is expensive and exclusive?” Mariano asked.

“That’s possible,” I agreed immediately. “And whoever helped him must have also done something bad or is a criminal too.”

We exchanged glances and discussed the situation further, including the possibilities we might face in capturing Ralph. We were almost done, and I was eager to go home to see Sarina and Chase when Mariano suddenly received an email from his right-hand man, who was left in Las Vegas.

“What is it about?” I asked Mariano.

“They found out that the real Bella McClaire had an affair with another man; that’s why Ralph killed her,” he answered.

“Instantly?” I asked curiously.

“No. He pretended he didn’t know anything and started physically abusing her. Here are the photos.” He then showed me the pictures of the real Bella McClaire. It was hard to recognize her, even when I zoomed in on his phone.

“Why didn’t she sue him?”

“She did, but she withdrew it because Ralph threatened her, saying he would counter her with her infidelity, and they agreed to continue living together,” Mariano explained after a deep sigh.

“Do you think Sarina suffered the same while with him?” I asked while handing back Mariano’s phone. Neither he nor Aries could answer. I couldn’t imagine my wife in the hands of that monster. Not to mention our child, who might have borne the brunt of his anger.

Everything became clear to us. He put Sarina to sleep before changing her appearance to look like his wife. Since he had already killed her, he needed to find someone to replace Bella, and Sarina was the one he found.

“And Maximus,” Mariano said, making me look at him. “Take a look at this,” he added, showing more pictures on the phone I had just returned to him.

“How could he do this to his wife?” I exclaimed in shock. Bella’s face was purple, and her body was covered in bruises.

“That happened a few months ago.” I looked at Mariano.

“I don’t get it. You said his wife died almost four years ago, then how is this from-” I stopped mid-sentence when I realized something. “That bastard!” I shouted in anger. It was Sarina in the picture. I was filled with so much anger and couldn’t help but cry.

Mariano and Aries tried to calm me down. I didn’t want to talk anymore; I just wanted to go home and hug my wife, but we still needed to discuss a few things.

When our meeting finally ended, I hurried home. While driving, I couldn’t stop thinking about what my wife had gone through at the hands of that demon Ralph.

When I arrived home, Lisa greeted me. She said nothing bad had happened and that my grandmother truly loved Chase. She said my son was in the room with Jerome and Rocel, while Sarina mentioned she would go to our room to read, so I headed there.

And there she was, hysterical with fear after telling me she had spoken to that demon Ralph, and I didn’t know what to do because she wouldn’t calm down no matter what I said. So, I chose to embrace her, and she did the same. But it didn’t work. I could see the overwhelming fear on her face, which only made me angrier at the demon who caused all this.

I tried to calm her down, but it didn’t work until she eventually passed out.